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Laugavegurinn

The world's most extraordinary trail

By Northern Adventures

August 10^th, 2013

Introduction

(MON AUG 5TH - SUN AUG 11TH, 2013)

The Laugavegur (or Laugavegurinn) is a notoriously famous trekking route in the southwest Iceland, officially from the hot springs area of Landmannalaugar to the glacial valley of Þórsmörk. It is noted for the wide variety of landscapes that are experienced in just 55 km of its length.

The route is typically completed over 2–4 days with potential stops at the mountain huts at Hrafntinnusker, Álftavatn, Hvanngil and Emstrur. It is possible to combine the trek with the Fimmvörðuháls route which goes over the pass from Þórsmörk to Skógar for an additional one or two days and an additional 25 km.

In a group of four, we hiked the combined trail of Fimmvörðuháls and Laugavegurinn in early August (2013), starting on the southern Icelandic coast in Skógar and finishing the journey in Landmannalaugar. It took us six days to do so, having left the final day for exploration of the colorful Landmannalaugar area (and enjoying the famous hot springs there).

Having hiked various trails literally across the globe, I’m not aware of any trail on the Earth that would rival this one in terms of variety of landscapes.

In its reasonable distance, this trail has it all: rivers, canyons, waterfalls, glaciers, lava fields, dusty volcano plains, river crossings and colorful rhyolite hills and valleys.

Not surprisingly, the trail is popular - huts on the trail should be reserved months in advance if one prefers to sleep under the roof. The weather forms a key factor here: one should REALLY be prepared. We experienced six beautiful days on the trail… and one totally horrible day.

Iceland… one may never get enough of this land.

Day 1: From Skógafoss to Fimmvörðuháls

It was my third time in Iceland; for three my companions, their first time. I always remember freshness of Icelandic air when doors of a landed aircraft open and one starts to feel the Icelandic breeze in the silent dark night.

One-hour bus ride from Keflavík airport to Reykjavík. A short hostel sleep. Buying camping gas at the petrol station located nearby. Another bus ride to Skógar where Fimmvörðuháls trail starts.

It feels like a film take: the bus peacefully and monotonously goes among green hills of Icelandic southern coastline, when, suddenly and unexpectedly, the magnificent Skógafoss waterfall appears: passengers stop breathing for a while, sitting and looking from bus windows in silent awe.

The trail starts directly at the Skógafoss waterfall and climbs steeply on its right side to the top of a plateau; the views are majestic here as is the water power one may feel close to the waterfall’s edge.

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The path then winds along the Skógá river along numerous other waterfalls and deep gorges; there is a lot of greenery around, however the higher in the hills, the more does the landscape change.

Some of the canyons and waterfalls almost equal Skógafoss in their impressiveness. Do these other falls at least have a name? The map was not showing any…

Those first meters - or kilometers - on the trail. Excited, eager to get more, climbing higher. With heavy backpacks, however still full of energy.

The higher we went, the better were the views thanks to the slowly disappearing haze; I hate white-washed skies and was appreciating more sunlight as well as more clouds we got.

There were numerous places inviting to take a short rest and admire nature wonders we were exploring.

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Then, rather suddenly, the landscape started to change: last remains of snow (first week of August!), stones, sand and volcanic ash instead of grass.

The weather became more chilly and twilight was about to come; we started hiking around the lunch time and had to rush a little bit to reach the Fimmvörðuháls pass and hut before night. The hut itself possesses a spectacular location: on top of a mountain ridge, surrounded by surreal landscape of grey volcanic ash and sand.

The sunset at Fimmvörðuháls (1080m) was nothing less than spectacular.

No matter how chilly it was, we couldn’t resist staying outside to witness the colourful spectacle that was happening. More to the north, the grey-sand valley was painted by last sun beams of the day, creating beautiful reflection in the glacial river. To the south, we saw plains we were crossing the whole day, now coloured in blue tones of coming twilight.

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Day 2: From Fimmvörðuháls to Þórsmörk

We woke up into a marvelous sunny morning; don’t be fooled, though - it was chilly as it may get in the Icelandic Highlands.

Once more we enjoyed views in all the directions - now in the gentle morning light.

Here the rather clever act was to fill up the bottles with water made from snow; quite surprisingly, there was no other water source till the bottom of the Þórsmörk valley, something we didn’t know at the moment.

So, folks, let’s go! :-)

We slowly started to descent in the northern direction towards the Þórsmörk valley. Looking back always meant a stop: what kind of landscape were we witnessing!

Colour tones of grey and white, nothing more and nothing less. There were no other colours than these two. The landscape looked so inhospitable… The Fimmvörðuháls hut occupied its prominent position at the horizon line, surrounded by the snowy and sandy desert, and the sun was only hardly getting through thick grey clouds.

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Then, as a natural next step, lava fields came.

The lava field we were about to cross was the one created by the infamous Eyjafjallajökull volcano which eruption stopped the air traffic over Europe in 2010.

Three years later, the lava field was still warm, and together with steam and sulphur smell moved landscape surrealism into another level of imagination.

Having crossed the inhospitable lava landscape, we finally managed to get some views - and these were indeed spectacular.

It was our first encounter with Icelandic rhyolite hills; this was the area we were heading to.

More to the east, the magnificent Mýrdalsjökull glacier was not for away.

Awesome sight truly, with those different tones of white and grey, sometimes changing into the blue colour. Lucky with the weather, we did frequent stops to enjoy the breathtaking views.

We continued to descent with beautiful views of the Icelandic majestic landscape all around.

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The lower we got, the more signs of life started to appear - there was some greenery, usually comprised of moss and resilient grass and wildflowers.

Finally, the beautiful Þórsmörk valley came into our sight.

It looked like a green oasis in the middle of the otherwise inhospitable terrain, located in the pebbly valley of glaciers-fed Krossá river.

Þórsmörk.

No wonder it is a popular destination for both foreign tourists and locals. In the middle of summer, it looked like a fairy-tale place.

The ITA hut in Þórsmörk (Skagfjordsskali) is just perfect, and there is even a small shop with basic groceries available for purchase.

Beer was the stuff we were missing at most, so our shopping results were rather straightforward :-).

Having taken a rest, we decided to climb Mt. Valahnúkur (458m) located close to the hut. In the evening light, views from its top couldn't be more majestic.

The Mýrdalsjökull glacier was occupying its prominent position in the east, peacefully lying on colourful hills like an unmovable ice cap.

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Then, back in the valley, we only waited for the night to come, watching changing colours of the surrounding landscape.

It was a long, however peaceful and beautiful day.

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Day 3: From Þórsmörk to Emstrur (Botnar)

Once more we woke up into a beautiful morning.

Having packed our backpacks, we headed to the north. We asked for the weather forecast in the hut - the warden’s reply was somewhat positive for today, however a bit less positive for upcoming days since rain was forecast.

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Having crossed the Þröngá river barefoot, we left green Þórsmörk hills behind and started to walk in the northeast direction across the dusty and grassy Almenningar plateau.

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For a few hours, we continued hiking across the plateau until we reached the canyon of the Syðri-Emstruá river.

Luckily, there is a (spectacularly located) footbridge installed that makes safe crossing of the wild river possible.

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After the river crossing and a bit steep ascent that followed, it was not a long way to finally reach the Emstrur (Botnar) campsite and hut(s).

It looked like a small colourful research station hidden in the barren land comprised of dark colour tones.

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We pitched our tents in the campsite; Emstrur was the only place during the trek where we had to use our tents since for the rest of the nights we had places in the huts reserved in advance.

The reservations were later proved as a rather wise decision and preparation step - dark stormy clouds started to gather and the wind was getting stronger when the afternoon turned into the evening.

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The night was rainy and windy. The weather forecast promised the wind should have calmed down after midnight - but it didn't. Low laying dark clouds were hanging above our tents and pouring constant rain.

We fell asleep hoping the weather may somehow improve tomorrow. Our hopes were… wrong.

Day 4: From Emstrur/Botnar to Álftavatn

There are days on trails in the deep north when the sun shines intensively and one may wear just a t-shirt and shorts. There are days when it rains and grey or white clouds prevent the sunshine illuminating the landscape and warming up lonely wanderers.

And there are, fortunately very rarely, days of complete bad luck regarding the weather.

Constant wind, constant rain. Everything soaking wet completely. Wind tearing up rain coats or rain ponchos. Rain and wind that does not calm down after a few hours, but continue for more than a single day.

Our forth day on the trail was one of those days. Luckily, we had places in the hut at Álftavatn lake reserved in advance.

There were fellow hikers that were not that lucky. They had to suffer an awful night outside in tents pitched onto a pond that constant rain created out of an otherwise beautiful meadow.

I had no chance to take any photograph during the day.

The evening was all about drying up the clothes - and ourselves.

We survived! :-)

Day 5: From Álftavatn to Hrafntinnusker

We woke up into another rainy and windy morning. The weather has not fully calmed down since yesterday, yet there were signs of slight improvement.

After brief discussion, we decided to continue and put our rain ponchos once more on.

Having hiked a few kilometres in light rain, the weather finally settled down. Soon we found ourselves traversing a green land, from time to time illuminated by the sun that was fearlessly getting through layers of thick clouds.

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Quickly, we left the green Jökultungur area behind and started to ascent to the misty and mysterious uplands.

Here, two things happened: first, we almost lost our way (and ourselves) in the thick fog. Second, we finally entered the colourful area of rhyolite hills.

We reached Hrafntinnusker quickly - it was not a long hiking day.

In the evening, the weather settled down even more and we got a chance to enjoy the surrounding colourful landscape. A good lure for tomorrow!

Colourful tents of fellow hikers were occupying the black sand area around the hut.

Finally, after two nights, the night was calm and we enjoyed a good night’s sleep.

Day 6: From Hrafntinnusker to Landmannalaugar

The last full day on the trail. The goal was clear - to reach Landmannalaugar and enjoy a well-deserved bath in the famous hot springs there.

It didn't take us a long time to found ourselves among the colourful rhyolite hills. Stórihver is the name of this geothermal spot, and soon we felt like being in a kingdom of colours (and smells).

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We stayed in Stórihver for quite a time, enjoying its geothermal features and admiring the range of colours the area possesses.

It’s a beautiful place, and thanks to its distance from Landmannalaugar it's definitely not overcrowded. We had this geothermal miracle only to ourselves (and a few sheep - can you see them below? :-)).

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From Stórihver, we headed further north. The further were we going, the more colours surrounded us.

Different tones of green, blue, brown, red, grey, white and black, often perfectly illuminated by the sun that was breaking through thick clouds.

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The path to Landmannalaugar is nothing less than spectacular.

One may spend here hours or even days only to admire the unique colourful landscape.

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After a few hours of hiking, we reached the final destination.

The magnificent Laugahraun lava field lay just in front of us in a form of small frozen lava waves.

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The last mile of our hike was a pleasant walk along a beautiful cotton-grass meadow.

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Last photographs above the campsite.

And then, the bath! :-)

Actually, there is not a hot-spring pool in Landmannalaugar - instead of that, there are two water streams coming together, one with cold water, and the other with hot one. Then, a tired hiker is about to find a place in the pool where the water temperature is the most comfortable. Perfect by all means! :-)

In the evening, we did a short hike around.

After the departure of day-tour buses, the area remained silent and belonged only to those few visitors who were staying overnight.

Day 7: Around Landmannalaugar (and back to Reykjavík)

Our bus to Reykjavík was scheduled to leave Landmannalaugar in the afternoon; two of us decided to enjoy the hot bath, whereas the other two wanted to see more of the surrounding landscape and did a short but rewarding hike around.

We climbed Mt. Bláhnjúkur (940m, the highest point in the area) to get an all-around view. The sun was illuminating the rhyolite hills including the most colourful Mt. Brennisteinsalda (881m, ”sulphur wave”), and we felt nothing else than like being on another planet.

Landmannalaugar is really magical, and I strongly believe rather incomparable to anything else on the Earth.

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From the top of Bláhnjúkur, we continued walking to the west to climb the colorful Brennisteinsalda sulphur hill.

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From the top of Brennisteinsalda, we got as magnificent views as from the previous peak.

We continued hiking in the north-west direction to the cotton-grass meadows closer to the campsite.

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Some of the surrounding areas resembled beautiful oil paintings.

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Once more, we were hiking along the cotton-grass field, this time from its very beginning in the west to its eastern end.

Another beautiful and special place indeed.

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We left Landmannalaugar in the afternoon on a bus heading back to Reykjavík.

There, of course, we enjoyed a proper meal (after a week of living on trekking food).

We had not much time left before going back to the airport, however we managed to visit the area around Reykjavík’s church (Hallgrímskirkja) - it looked magnificently in the setting sun, and the statue of the explorer and warrior Leif Eriksson reminded us that we spent a week in the land of old sagas.

Practicalities

Although Laugavegurinn itself is beautiful on its own, adding Fimmvörðuháls to the scope makes the overall journey even more special. During 4-6 days on the trail, one is then to encounter most of the unique Icelandic landscapes and types of terrain.
Though the official direction of the trail is north-to-south and one may even meet purists who don't like hikers doing the trail vice versa, it's fair to say that the south-to-north direction saves arguably the best (Landmannalaugar) for the last day(s) (including an optional day-walk around Landmannalaugar). Besides that, it's a pure pleasure to end the long hike with a warm bath! (The other side of the coin is the higher elevation gain going south-to-north, but that's something even an average hiker can surely manage).
Both Trex and Reykjavik Excursions offer seasonal daily bus-trips between Reykjavik and Landmannalaugar/Þórsmörk/Skógar. "Hiking pass" used to be a convenient two-legs ticket for the trail offered by Reykjavik Excursions, Trex does offer similar package called Hikers Buss Pass.
If one prefers to stay in huts along the trail, reservations shall be made well in advance (months or even half a year). Most of the places in huts is occupied by organised larger trekking groups. That being said, one may find places in huts without reservation in shoulder seasons (June or September).
Surely it's perfectly possible to go just with a tent, though one should count with unfavourable weather and be prepared for that. Icelandic weather is notoriously changeable and the trail itself lies in close proximity to vast glaciers which also have some influence. I've met hikers in jeans and sweaters as well as guys carrying their sleeping bags in hands... people do crazy things, especially when inexperienced. Will never forget a young female hiker hysterically demanding a place in the hut "otherwise I will die" (happened in Álftavatn when we were there; and yes, she was hiking in jeans).
To my knowledge, payment cards are now widely accepted along the trail - cash is no longer necessary. At least Þórsmörk and Landmannalaugar have small shops; the latter located in a lovely old-school American school bus. Regarding beer, only count with light beers (I would call them beer lemonades) with small amount of alcohol; save proper wash-down for the capital!
There are numerous side trips possibilities along the trail, usually accessible from places of overnight stay. Have visited (on a different trip) the ice cave near Hrafntinnusker as well as climbed Stöðull (1132m) - both very much worth the effort.
The trail is very popular and some may even call it overcrowded. While there are certainly not crowds in the Icelandic highlands, it's matter of fact one is going to meet tens of other hikers each day on the trail. And in Landmannalaugar, you may easily double or triple the number given the herds of day-trippers. That's why we looked for an alternative couple of years ago, finally opting for the Landmannahellir - Langisjór route, yet there are naturally other alterations and possibilities how to ramble along and around the trail instead of sharing the unique beauty of the area with tens of other souls.
Regarding the navigation along the trail, it's pretty straightforward most of the time and doesn't require any special preparation. That being said, the area around Hrafntinnusker is prone to frequent fogs and low clouds; in that case, GPS may be handy (we use offline mapy.cz map app in our mobiles). There were very unfortunate cases of people who had died while hiking the trail; the story of the unlucky Israeli hiker is well-known.
Drinking water is available along the trail, however proper planning is recommended since there may be long sections without any water source (like the section between Fimmvörðuháls and Þórsmörk). Also, while the water from glacial rivers may be perfectly drinkable, the content of minerals and clay may be above desirable levels.
Map-based GPS of our journey (not from a GPS device since we didn't carry a GPS) is available on Wikiloc.

Footnotes

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FootNotes

All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without permission of the author.

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